British government extends northern Ireland talks deadline

BELFAST, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The British government on Monday extended by 24 hours a deadline for Northern Ireland's main political parties to reach agreement on re-establishing a devolved regional executive and avoid London setting the region's annual budget directly.

The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party and Irish nationalists Sinn Fein will continue talks on Tuesday aimed at restoring a power-sharing government, the British government's minister for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire said in a statement.

He said progress had been made in talks on Monday and that he would reassess the position on Tuesday evening before deciding if London would move to impose a budget for the first time in a decade. (Reporting by Amanda Ferguson; Editing by Catherine Evans)